ID verification soon compulsory for all company directors – act now!

If you are a company director, a ‘person with significant control’ or a member of a limited liability partnership, you need to know about compulsory ID verification with Companies House and act very soon.

Why do I need to verify my ID with Companies House?

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is ushering in a number of changes. These are designed to help tackle corporate crime and improve corporate transparency.

We’ve written about some of the changes, such as the Register of Overseas Entities which ensures foreign owners have to register their real identities, preventing them from hiding behind chains of shell companies.

You can find details of all the important changes here.

Who needs to undergo ID verification with Companies House?

Since April 2025, individuals have been able to voluntarily verify their identity with Companies House.

However, from 18th November 2025, ID verification becomes compulsory for:

• New company directors and new people with significant control (A PSC is someone who owns or controls a company, also known as a ‘beneficial owner’)
• Existing directors and existing people with significant control (when they file their next annual confirmation statement, during a 12-month transition period)
• Members of a limited liability partnership (LLP)

People who will need to verify their ID in the future

Companies House has said that certain other people will need to undergo ID verification at a later date. These are:

• people who file at Companies House
• limited partnerships
• corporate directors of companies
• corporate members of LLPs
• officers of corporate PSCs

If you fall into any of these categories, you can still voluntarily verify your ID now.

How do I verify my ID?

The easiest way to verify your ID with Companies House is to do it online yourself.

Before you start, you will need a GOV.UK One account. If you don’t have one, you can create one here.

To verify you’re your ID online you’ll need one of the following types of photo ID:

• A biometric passport (any country)
• UK photo driving licence
• UK biometric residence permit
• UK biometric residence card
• UK Frontier Worker permit

The online ID verification service is available here.

Can I get someone else to verify my ID?

It’s possible to ask an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) to verify your ID.

ACSPs are individuals or organisations that undertake anti-money-laundering supervised activity. These include accountants, solicitors and others. If you’d prefer to do this, speak to your THP account manager.

Companies House ID verification – a summary

If you are a company director, person of significant control, or a member of an LLP, it will soon be compulsory to undergo ID verification with Companies House.

We strongly recommend you do this now. If you forget after it becomes compulsory, you could face financial penalties.

It’s easiest to do your own ID verification online. However, if you are having problems and you are a THP client, please do talk to your account manager.